Salt Lake City

09.08.24

From Brian Head to Salt Lake City

The Brian Head Lodge is a really nice hotel. The staff is very friendly and we can get fresh coffee at 5 AM (jetlag) in the morning.

Of course, we are awake very early again, even though we slept well. Breakfast is supposed to be at 6:30 AM. Unfortunately, the breakfast staff seems to have overslept, so we start without breakfast. It’s quite chilly this morning, but we still drive with the top down into the morning towards Salt Lake City.

Salt Lake City, the high-altitude capital of the U.S. state of Utah, is surrounded by the Great Salt Lake and the snow-capped peaks of the Wasatch Range. The 4-acre Temple Square, the headquarters of the Mormon Church, features the majestic Salt Lake Temple from the 19th century.

At noon, we make our first stop at the Great Salt Lake State Park at Saltair Beach. Parking costs $10.

The water level is quite low, and it’s not really a proper beach either. We first make ourselves some coffee (thankfully, we brought our gas stove) and have lunch by the lake. We dip our feet in the water, but the lake doesn’t really invite for swimming.

We continue to downtown to see the Salt Lake Temple. Unfortunately, everything is currently fenced off and there’s quite a large construction site.

The entire area (Temple Square) is quite surreal and somehow reminds me of The Hunger Games.

There are Mormons walking around with a Bible under their arm, who want to proselytize. The city is pretty dead and dull, but we had read that too. The Mormons aren’t allowed to drink things like coffee or alcohol 😉

Our motel today is in Midvale, the Quality Inn. We’re looking forward to the pool,

since it’s pretty hot, but then we also ask what the “Quality” in the name stands for.

The reception is okay, the room smells, the windows won’t open, and the view is a wall. The bed linens also look like they’ve been used, and the pool? Just take a look for yourself. We’re used to a lot from the USA, so we’re not shocked by this either.

It’s only for one night. Conclusion about SLC - it’s not really worth it.